Fort St. Joseph open house showcases archaeology

Aug. 9, 2006

KALAMAZOO--Normally, when parents ask, "Can you dig it?"
kids roll their eyes and wonder what planet their parents came
from. For one weekend in August, however, kids can respond with
a resounding, "Yes, we can!" as Western Michigan University
welcomes area families to its Archaeology Open House at Fort
St. Joseph in Niles, Mich.

The two-day event is a rare chance for the public to witness
the process of history being uncovered, as faculty and student
researchers welcome visitors to the excavation site of what was
once an 18th-century fort and trading post--one of the Great
Lakes' most important outposts. The fort remains are the subject
of a dig by WMU's annual Archaeology Field School.

The open house will kick off at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug.
11, with an opening reception featuring: a number of state and
local dignitaries; Dr. Thomas Kent, dean of WMU's College of
Arts and Sciences; and the site's lead archeologist, Dr. Michael
Nassaney, professor of anthropology.

The open house, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, includes on-site lectures by Nassaney at
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. as well as educational stations
designed to help both adults and children explore the era when
the fort was active, 1691 to 1781. The stations will feature
music and entertainment by soldier and voyageur re-enactors.
Visitors to the event, which is free and open to the public,
will observe students from WMU and other Michigan colleges participating
in the field school and engaged in the excavation process. Artifacts
and other material evidence discovered thus far will be on display
as well.

"This event will give visitors from all over southwest
Michigan a first-hand look at how archaeologists actually uncover
and discover evidence from the past," notes Nassaney. "This
site has consistently exceeded our expectations. We're looking
at something that could one day be as archaeologically and historically
significant to Michigan's history as Fort Michilimackinac is
now."

Fort St. Joseph was a trading post along the St. Joseph River
in Niles and at times during its 90-year existence was controlled
by the French, the British and, briefly, a group of Spaniards.
The site was rediscovered in 1998 when a group called Support
the Fort Inc. asked Nassaney to look for the fort. Nassaney narrowed
his search to an area that Dr. Joseph L. Peyser, a local historian,
had identified as the likely location of the lost fort. It wasn't
until 2002 that Nassaney and student workers could make the site
accessible for serious research by using innovative engineering
equipment to dewater the area being examined. Since that time,
a significant number of artifacts and the structural remains
of Fort St. Joseph have been discovered.

The WMU research and the artifacts discovered have been the
subject of a number of articles, including one in Michigan History
magazine, as well as professional presentations around the nation
by faculty and students involved in the annual field school.
WMU's Archaeology Field School, now 30 years old, is the oldest
continuous program of its kind in Michigan. This year's field
school began July 10.

The open house is sponsored by the Western Michigan University
Archeology Project, in conjunction with the city of Niles, the
Fort St. Joseph Museum, and Support the Fort Inc., a non profit
organization promoting and preserving the history of the fort.

To get to the Fort St. Joseph site from Kalamazoo, take I-94
west to exit 41 (Rt. 140). Go south on Rt. 140 and follow the
signs to Niles. Once in Niles, temporary directional signage
will direct visitors to the site along the river near Bond Street.